Two Way Ticket
by Rei Tomiyama
Summary: Takes place at the end of the war between Naturals and Coordinators. A different take on what might happen had Kira witnessed Athrun and Cagalli kissing. Lacus realizes who's in love with whom, but do the others? AsuKira.
1. Prologue

**Two-Way Ticket**

By Rei Tomiyama

Animé: Gundam Seed

Pairings: AthrunxKira or AsuKira; one-sided LacusxKira; DearkaxMir; one-sided YzakxDearka

A/N: I've only started watching Gundam Seed recently, so pardon me if I get any details wrong. Also, the characters might be more than a little OOC. Especially Cagalli. I might tend to make her really annoying just for the heck of it. I can't help it….whine. It's an obsession! (Ha! I'm quoting Daffy Duck!)

Summary: A twist on the scene where Athrun kissed Cagalli before the final battle. What if Kira had actually seen them? A take on it after the ending of Gundam Seed.

He had been watching them when they'd done IT.

That is, when they'd kissed.

He didn't really know what to think about it. When your best friend kisses your twin sister, what _are_ you supposed to think?

He didn't know, that was for sure. Just like how he didn't know why exactly he was making such a fuss over it. It was just a kiss, after all. Nothing else had happened. It wasn't like they'd had _sex_ or anything…

Had they?

He inadvertently blushed at the direction his thoughts were taking. Why was he associating Athrun and Cagalli with sex, for God's sake? It certainly wasn't as if they pried into his own private affairs. He was in no condition to start what could be misleading and dangerous speculations, he reminded himself sternly.

And besides, he was inside Freedom's cockpit at the moment. He shouldn't even be wasting his energy trying to figure out if Athrun had indeed engaged into a relationship of sorts, his conscience snarled at him. He should be concentrating on subduing both the Dominion and the Genesis before they both struck again, dealing a fatal blow on the PLANTs. That and devising a plan to somehow rescue Flay. Although he knew that she had been manipulating him for her own personal gains, he still considered her a dear friend and felt obligated to save her from Azrael's devious schemes.

But the question was still there, niggling in the back of his head like a particularly annoying parasite. He couldn't help it, though he had yet to discover why he cared so much about an innocuous act on Athrun's part. What exactly had his friend intended with that kiss? He had kissed Lacus on the cheek before he'd left, where he'd been sure she saw the sadness in his eyes despite the forced smile he'd painted on his face, but that was a gesture of friendship and assurance. Could it have been the same situation?

He didn't even know if he could ask about it, either. It just seemed too… fragile to be discussed. And Cagalli… she would most probably deny vehemently that such a thing happened, although he was almost certain she had reddened and enjoyed the fleeting contact. It would be no use getting a straight answer out of the two of them. He cared deeply for the both of them, and an abrupt interrogation would only cause tension. He had caught them in a vulnerable instant that he wasn't supposed to have witnessed, and now he had to keep quiet about it. It was for the best.

He released a tired, pent-up sigh. Maybe he would tell Lacus later. It seemed that she was the only person on board that didn't expect him to be anyone besides himself. It was a little strange, learning that she had been Athrun's ex-fiancée, but that hadn't hindered their belief and trust in each other. She was still Lacus Clyne, even if she was no longer the angelic daughter of a pacifist or the revered singer among Coordinators. And even if Rau La Creuset said he had been engineered to be the Ultimate Coordinator, even if the parents he'd known all of his life weren't really his parents, even if he had become a soldier against his will, even if his best friend had tried and almost succeeded in killing him…

No matter what happened, he would still be Kira Yamato.

…

The minute she stepped inside his room, she realized something was wrong. No, even before that she had sensed it. He had smiled at her after she'd given him her ring and with tears in her eyes, made him promise to come back, but there was that inexplicable sorrow reflected in those shimmering orbs of violet that were his eyes. And somehow, she wanted to make it go away and return him to the innocent boy he was before war had claimed his soul.

She wanted to heal him.

How could one so young suffer through so much pain in his short life? He hadn't done anything to deserve a fate like the one given him, except lead an existence as a Coordinator that refused to side with the Earth Alliance or ZAFT. Yet he was thrown into a never-ending fight of supremacy between Naturals and Coordinators, trapped in the center of it all with no way out, battling the only true friend he'd had as warriors on the opposite side. It was over now, and Athrun had reinforced his loyalty to Orb and the renegades of the Earth Alliance along with his comrade Dearka, but the fact remained that at one point the two of them had been aiming for each other's throats.

And with Athrun Zala was the root of the problem. She did not wholly understand what had occurred, but it had evidently been enough to upset Kira. She didn't expect him to confide everything to her, and she respected his secrets, content simply to stand by the troubled boy if she was ever needed.

So when stricken wine-colored eyes stared at her pleadingly, she glided to his side and extended her arms in an embrace, which he willingly accepted, throwing his heavily-bandaged self on her.

"What's wrong, Kira?" It was unnecessary to ask, she knew. There were so many things gone wrong. The death of Flay Allster, Kira's long-time friend, Muu La Flaga, the Strike's pilot, gone in a flash of the Genesis' rays, the Dominion's commander…

But it wasn't that which had affected him the most. It may have sounded cruel to say that, but it was indeed the truth. Perhaps it was something else that had pushed him over to the edge. Athrun may have declared Kira a crybaby, but he never cried without a good reason, not unless he was so overwhelmed by his bottled emotions, and that would only happen if the ones closest to him were in some way concerned.

"I saw them… kissing." The statement was barely more than a whisper, but its content slightly puzzled her. She didn't quite understand why Kira would…

Her question was immediately answered.

"_Athrun._" It came out as a tortured sigh. She was too flustered to ask. Athrun... but with whom?

Before they had launched their mobile suits into space, she had confronted Kira, leaving Athrun alone with Cagalli.

Athrun had kissed Cagalli in that space of time, it dawned on her with a sudden start.

And Kira, who had unluckily spotted them, was in love with Athrun but had absolutely no idea that he did.

It would have been easier if Cagalli had not entered the equation, she mused, but it had also made Kira come to terms with his emotions. She loved Kira and wished only the best of everything for him, and if that meant being with Athrun, then she would make sure that it happened.

If she wanted Kira to be happy, then she would have to love him enough to let him go.

But if she let him go, at least she would ascertain that he was with someone who reciprocated the same feelings.

Because if his heart was so thoughtlessly broken, she had no doubt that hers would break as well.

…

Cagalli wasn't quite certain where she and Athrun were headed for. He had initiated the first move, so he _had_ to have had something in mind when he'd kissed her.

_It's not like he can just kiss me and then do nothing about it, right? _That was definitely out of the question. Athrun wouldn't do something like that to her, would he? Especially now that it looked like he was going to be permanently residing with the people of Orb. And Kira had Lacus after all, so it wasn't like he would be terribly lonely if the two of them did end up together.

Not if, she amended quickly. _When_ they ended up together and officially became a couple, just like her twin brother-turned-lover-boy-with-the-Pink-Princess was with the rose-haired Coordinator.

She smiled.

Things were looking up.

…

Azrael had deserved to die, Murrue Ramius reflected to herself on the command seat looking out at the beautiful blue expanse that was space. As head of the organization Blue Cosmos, what he'd been forcing into the minds of the Naturals was nothing short of racism, and she was glad that it had finally finished itself. Patrick Zala, the man behind the Coordinators' open rebellion, was in actuality no better, but he had fathered Athrun Zala, Ensign Kira Yamato's long-time friend, and she couldn't begrudge him that. Without the green-eyed Coordinator, the chance of Kira's survival might have greatly lessened and killed the young pilot much earlier.

She was still grieving over Muu La Flaga and what might have been, but would never have the chance to be. Up until the very end, he'd protected her, not sparing himself that the Archangel and its crew might save mankind from the wrath of Genesis. She had wanted to die and be with him, leaving the violent and bloodstained world behind, but she recognized her responsibility as commander. She knew that somewhere, in her heart, a fragment that was Muu La Flaga would continue to live on, and she would never forget that.

But Natarle… she sighed. That had been another life needlessly lost in the heat of battle. As she'd predicted, the Dominion's female commander had performed superbly, but she regretted the circumstances in which they had encountered each other again.

With peace talks between Coordinators and Naturals underway, she hoped that there would never be a need for mobile suits, battleships that were classified in the Archangel class, or nuclear weapons.

She didn't want the deaths of all the people he had cared about to be in vain.

…

A teenager strode briskly by the Eternal's hangar, where the battered forms of Strike Rouge, Freedom and Justice greeted with a portentous air. A hand absently reached to tuck in a few errant strands of midnight blue, but it did not hinder the boy's rapid movements.

Because the war had drawn to an end, he was looking forward to spending 'quality time' with his friends without having to worry if they would live to see peace take shape in the PLANTs and on Earth. His lips curved upwards into a slight grin.

First things first. He and Kira had major catching up to do. He silently thanked whatever divine presence was out there for inspiring him to make Tori and Kira for keeping the mechanical bird by his side even after all those years. Without Tori, he'd never have found his childhood friend when he had become stranded in the cosmos after Genesis had hit the Freedom straight on.

And without Tori, he would never have realized in time how much he really wanted to be with Kira, not on the opposite side of the fence facing him as an enemy.

_I guess he's still in his room... _He frowned. He hadn't known exactly how bad Kira had been injured in the fight with La Creuset, and it worried him to see the older boy looking so wan and pale.

He broke into an all-out run, footsteps loudly echoing in his wake.

…

A/N: Wahahahahahah! Athrun doesn't even spare Cagalli a second thought! Hahahahahahaha! .cough. Ehem, anyway… forgive me. I was simply in one of my… moments. Like when I start bitching about Relena. Yeah, something like that. I'm really sorry to all those Cagalli fans out there, I just can't seem to like her… and because I'm delusional, my theory is that Athrun kissed Cagalli 'cause he got so caught up in the moment that he hallucinated and saw Kira instead of Cagalli. They are twins after all. Granted, fraternal, but the face structure is identical and the haircut is similar. And I personally think that 'We can protect each other' line from Athrun is rather stupid. I mean, come on! How exactly can Cagalli protect Athrun? She's a Natural! Again, my twisted theory reasserts itself and insists that it was Kira Athrun had meant to say those words to. But before all the AthrunxCagalli fans start stoning me, I'll end my pitiful excuse for a rant. I guess you guys are tired from all my blabbering. So, until the next chapter, which will hopefully appear before the end of March, I think. See you! Read and review, please!

Rei:)


	2. Drowning in Oblivion

A/N: Hahahahahaha… the chapter title is apt. Thanks for all the reviews! You guys know who you are, and also, I'm afraid I don't have a copy of the review page myself, so I can't name you by heart. Sorry about that. Nevertheless, know that your words were greatly appreciated by me and served as inspiration for this chapter. AsuKira will always be the cutest couple in Gundam Seed for me, no matter what anybody else says. Thank you for tolerating my newbie fic, considering how limited my knowledge is of the series. Also, apologies for Cagalli fans, but not to worry, she'll redeem herself in the third chapter (I think), although I still don't like her. ZAFT crew will make an appearance a little later, so no worries!

Here's the second chapter of TWT, or Two-Way Ticket as you know it. Enjoy, please!

Chapter I – Drowning in Oblivion

"Cagalli Yula Attha." The blonde girl stiffened suddenly, lost in thought as she stood by the railing of the hangar. There, right behind her, was Lacus Clyne, her brother's…

Her brother's what, exactly? She didn't have a label for the girl, unable to determine what exactly was her status with Kira. There hadn't been much room for interaction, since she'd been so busy piloting the Strike Rouge and keeping Athrun company while Lacus got to hog her twin all to herself, and she wasn't really sure what sort of etiquette was demanded from her in conversing with the pacifist Coordinator.

She managed to say, "Hmmm?" noncommittally. What was _she_ doing in the hangar? It wasn't the sort of place she would expect someone of her kind would go to. Very strange behavior, indeed.

"There is an urgent matter at hand that we must discuss." She belatedly noticed that the normally serene face was unusually solemn.

_What the heck's wrong now? _Angry curses whirled in her head._ Haven't we attained peace already?_

"Look, can't it wait?" The moment she opened her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. It was insufferably rude of her, creating an unfavorable impression that she was nothing but a tomboy with no manners at all, when in fact they both knew she was the princess of Orb.

_What would Father say if he heard me?_ The painful recollection made her eyes glisten with unshed tears. It was still too fresh, her father's death…

"I apologize for the abruptness, but this concerns Kira as well." She caught the name Kira, and almost instantly she changed her mind.

If it _did_ concern Kira, then there was no reason she shouldn't fulfill her duty as older sister and learn what all the trouble was about.

…

Lacus tried to conceal her uneasiness as she shifted restlessly on her seat. She had invited Cagalli for all intents and purposes, to clarify Kira's situation, but she remained uncomfortable with her 'guest'. The only people connecting the two of them were Athrun and Kira, nothing more. She felt immediately awkward.

How was she supposed to explain that the other girl's twin was in love with his best friend? No doubt she would think the idea was preposterous and accuse her of slandering Kira…

_How can I possibly begin to elaborate on the complexity of it all?_ She sighed. _Oh dear…_

"Look." She turned to face the hotheaded Natural whose voice spoke of impatience and impulsiveness. "If you have something to say, just spit it out already. Don't bother waiting for the right moment. There _is_ no right moment."

"It's about the person Kira loves most." She met Cagalli's gaze steadily. She saw surprise, bewilderment, and even resentment. But resentment of what, she couldn't help but mull over.

"Aren't _you_ the person Kira loves most? Is this some sort of weird joke now? 'Cause I don't really get it." She took a deep breath.

"No. It's not me." She saw those amber eyes widen involuntarily. She wasn't surprised to see the puzzled expression, but she sincerely hoped that Cagalli would figure out the truth behind her ambiguous statement.

Who else would Kira willingly give his life and love for? The answer is all too evident in my eyes… 

_And I know that person will never be me._

She didn't dare say the thought out loud. She simply watched Kira's sister absorb the information.

"So it's that dead girl Flay Allster he's still pining over? Ugh! What a jerk! And all this time I thought he was already with you!" Lacus had expected a variety of reactions, but she wasn't quite prepared for what Cagalli had said. She was about to refute the accusation, but then the blonde teenager turned away from her and started a determined stride towards the hangar's exit. She was muttering under her breath.

"Grrr… how could he be so insensitive! I'll pound some sense into him…!" A vein was throbbing on her forehead. As Lacus observed the female figure become more and more distant, she sighed.

Apparently, the thought of Kira with Athrun had never even once crossed Cagalli's mind, and it was going to prove a troublesome chore to convince her otherwise.

She would have to find some other way.

She couldn't possibly disappoint Kira now.

…

"Kira?" The door opened, and he stepped in quietly. No use waking his friend if he was already asleep. He scanned the room absent-mindedly.

It seems so bare… 

"Tori!" A flash of green hurtled itself at him, and he laughed despite himself. Good old Tori. He neared the bed with the mechanical bird perched on his fingers. Kira was staring at nothing in particular, eyes the color of lilac clouded over. He tentatively reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Kira?" The trance ended, and those violet orbs focused in on Athrun, clad in his red ZAFT uniform. He was greeted with a warm smile that did not quite reach Kira's eyes.

"Athrun." Those violet eyes looked so weary to the green-eyed teenager, like they had glimpsed all the pain and suffering of Earth and wanted to do nothing more than close themselves for eternity.

He found his voice. "The war… it's finally over." He took a seat next to his friend. "I guess Justice and Freedom have finally earned their names." The pun on the G-weapons developed secretly by the Coordinators, equipped with N-jammer cancellers, coaxed a short-lived laugh.

"Yeah… there'll be no fighting for a while." Even as his friend said the words, he was aware that both of them were trying to convince themselves of the doubtful statement despite the reassuring tone they used. They fell into companionable silence, Kira resting his chin on Athrun's shoulder as they simply soaked in the warmth of each other's presence.

After a while, Kira spoke again. "Athrun?"

"Yeah?" Why couldn't they have ended up on the same side during the war? If Kira had joined him in ZAFT, then Nichol wouldn't have died and neither would have Kira's friend… No. Le Creuset would have done something for sure, Athrun knew. Why couldn't _he_ have gone with the Earth Alliance rebels sooner? He should've switched sides when he rescued Lacus, but he dismissed the notion as well. He couldn't possibly have known what lay in front of him. The past was the past. He had no reason to keep dwelling on it. Kira was here with him, and nothing would ever separate them again.

Not if he could help it.

"You're not leaving, right?" Athrun started at the question, which, in his own ears, sounded ridiculous. He responded quickly.

"No, of course not. What gave you that idea?" He was horrified that Kira would feel the need to ask something he'd previously thought had a foregone conclusion already. If he hadn't left for the PLANTs when they were younger, then he probably wouldn't have had to clarify that no, he _wasn't_ leaving Kira, contrary to what it seemed like.

"I don't know…" His brown-haired companion frowned pensively. "If you got married like, to Cagalli, for example, we'd still be friends" the touch of a finger on his lips cut him off.

"Sssshhhh…" Athrun didn't know what had him more worried, the fact that Kira was unsure of his standing, or that he had gone ahead and assumed that he was going to marry Cagalli. "No matter what, Kira, we'll be together forever. I mean it. Forever."

"But—" the older boy tried to protest futilely. His friend cut him off fiercely.

"No matter what." Athrun closed his eyes for just a moment, then opened them again to meet Kira's gaze.

"I promise." He felt like he was drowning. Had Kira's eyes ever looked so enchanting, he dimly wondered. He lowered his face, closing the distance between their faces. As he looked into those guileless lavender eyes, his thoughts flew back to that kiss he had shared with Cagalli, and he hesitated.

Did he really know what he wanted? 

"Athrun, I…" Kira's voice was quiet, but he obviously wanted to tell Athrun something important.

The door suddenly burst open, revealing a very red-faced Cagalli, and immediately Athrun and Kira recoiled from each other. He was sure he had done that out of instinct, not wanting to face the blonde girl's wrath if she caught him fooling around with her twin brother. But Kira…

Had he done it because he felt so repulsed? He sighed inwardly. Yet another black mark against him. He wasn't exactly being role model best friend, starting out the way he did. He'd have to find out a way to deal with it later. Having reached a decision, he caught a portion of Cagalli's rant to Kira, which Athrun had managed to tune out in his internal conflict.

"Just get over her, for God's sake! Stop acting so dumb and apologize right now! Don't you know how long she's been in love with you, you clueless freak? And to think we're actually related by blood!" She forcibly dragged her twin to the door, and then she stopped, as if noticing Athrun was in her brother's room for the first time.

"Hey. Athrun…" An unexpected smile lit up her face. He automatically smiled back, but guilt was wrenching through him at what felt to be some sort of duplicity against the both of them.

What did he really want? 

"Cagalli. What are you doing here?" His question was laced with humor, but truthfully he was angrier at the moment. She dismissed it with a casual wave of her hand.

"Just trying to get my little brother's priorities straight, that's all." She flashed a triumphant smirk at Kira. The chestnut-haired boy frowned and mumbled something.

"If there's anyone who should be the younger sibling here, it's you." He got a whack on the head for the comment.

"Anyway, Athrun, Kira and I will see you later, okay?" The Justice pilot nodded numbly, unable to do anything else. The door shut behind them, and he was left facing his own unwanted thoughts.

Kira had assumed he was in love with Cagalli, enough to take up a proposal of marriage in the future. It was very strange, to say the least, because he was certain that he had never once given away any sign that he was considering a relationship with his friend's twin sister. He had contemplated that it was more likely for Kira to end up with someone like Lacus, knowing their familiarity with each other. But for Kira to link him and Cagalli… well, it wasn't the sort of thing he'd imagined they would end up talking about.

Cagalli was in her own way, a nice girl. It was just that her temper oftentimes got the better of her, leading her to make brash decisions before she completely understood their consequences. Protective of Kira, whom she, despite the latter's protests, viewed as her 'little brother', he had no doubt that she would go to any lengths to make him happy. She didn't try to hide her fear behind a mask of bravado, but coupled with that fear was bravery and a sense of justice. He admired her for that.

On the other hand, Kira was mild-mannered and affable, as well as loyal to a fault. The fact that he had stubbornly stayed with the Archangel despite Athrun's invitation for him to fight alongside him in ZAFT attested to that. A naturally sensitive person, Athrun teased him relentlessly for being a 'crybaby', but nevertheless he treasured Kira's youthful innocence and would do anything to keep it safe.

The two of them were different, for sure, but in some ways he found them to be startlingly similar. A case in point was the tendency to jump to conclusions. It was beginning to unsettle him, actually. Especially considering how awfully close Kira's note about him and Cagalli had struck the mark. That stolen kiss nagged at him. Like Kira, did Cagalli also expect him to follow through with something else? His face darkened.

He'd never thought of Cagalli except as a friend, and he'd made sure that everyone was aware of that. Only that kiss had betrayed him, and Kira hadn't seen that. Neither had he heard anyone speak of it. It was between him and Cagalli. That was all.

Or was it? Had some wagging tongue deigned it proper to inform the violet-eyed Coordinator what tricks his twin sister and best friend had been pulling behind his back? It frustrated him not to know.

But he would soon enough, he assured himself as he took his leave of Kira's quarters.

He would go and ask Lacus.


	3. The Curtain Rises

**Two-Way Ticket**

By Rei Tomiyama

A/N: This is AsuKira, so you were warned. Please don't attempt to flame me for the usage of a healthy dose of my shounen-ai imagination. It's a free country, anyway. 'Sides, if I get the details wrong, what can I say? I watched more of the second half of the series than the first half in English. It can't be helped. There's a little one-sided KiraxLacus (guess whose unrequited love?) and one-sided AthrunxCagalli. Again, if you are not a fan of AsuKira, I suggest you leave this fic immediately. There's no need to torture yourself. Otherwise, happy reading!

-Rei:)

…

Chapter II – The Curtain Rises

When Cagalli started ranting, Kira said to himself, there was absolutely no way to stop her. If he even tried telling her to pipe down a little, he was pretty sure he would get clobbered in the head. That was the main reason he was stuck listening half-heartedly to her lecture. Not that it really registered in his brain, but he was careful to look attentive and focus his gaze on her.

"…don't see why you're so indecisive! You could make Lacus very happy if you'd only own up to your feelings. She cares a lot for you, but it seems you don't even realize that!" Kira jerked his head up when he heard the name Lacus. He felt more than a twinge of guilt.

He wanted to protest, wanted to say, _No, Lacus doesn't love me the way you think she does_, but the truth was, he wasn't entirely certain either. The two of them were very close; surviving the war together did that to people. But he knew that he just didn't love her the way Cagalli wanted him to. Not yet, anyway. Maybe, given more time, he would. It wasn't her fault she felt the way she did about him. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

"I do know, Cagalli…" He replied patiently. 'I'm aware of that, and I've realized that I _do_ want this to work. Lacus really doesn't deserve someone like me," He lowered his eyes to the ground. "But I want her to be happy." The beginnings of a rant died on her lips before she could spit them out. Instead, she looked vaguely surprised and more than a little smug.

"I knew you'd get around to my way of thinking." She patted him on the head condescendingly. "My little brother is _such_ a good boy." He gave her a mock frown.

"I'm not your little brother!" Laughing, she gave him a pinch on the cheek and made her way down from the rail bridge of the hangar.

"Of course you are!"

…

She had to bite back a grin when she saw the familiar slight crease of his forehead and his lips pressed tightly together. "Is it really okay to leave everything like that?"

"Of course it's okay. Kira's a little slow on the uptake, but he gets it. What better than for him and Lacus to end up together? They've had their eyes on each other since the war, anyway. What harm could it possibly make?" Stray wisps of dark hair brushed against his face as he shook his head.

"Kira may be innocent, Cagalli, but he doesn't take to following other people's ideas so easily. Are you sure he really told you that?" She was near frustration at this point. They'd been over this already, but Athrun looked like he thought the entire idea ridiculous or near-impossible. Of which it was neither, really! She'd set the stage, hadn't she? Now all that was left was for Kira to put it into motion. And was it just her, or was Athrun protesting just a _little _too much? She stood up, suddenly restless.

"Why are you so worried, anyway? They're good for each other."

He hesitated. "…Kira could get hurt." She'd hoped for an answer, but it definitely wasn't that one. She'd surmised before that it was more likely that Lacus be disappointed, considering how she had to deal with unrequited love. True, Kira was sensitive and could be a crybaby at times, but she didn't think he would take it that hard.

"What about Lacus?" She demanded, hands on her hips. "Do you think _she_ wouldn't get hurt if Kira pinned her hopes so high and sent them plummeting? Or do you just not care? Is it Kira you're after? Is that why you've barely spoken a word to me since we got back from space, because you think that the kiss was a mistake? Is that _it_?" She let out a little gasp and belatedly clapped a hand over her mouth, dismayed at her outburst. His eyes blazed with unbridled fury, and for a moment she caught herself. She didn't have to say anything… she could just drop the subject. It really wasn't too late, yet.

"Lacus was my fiancée," He ground out scathingly. "Did you really think I could spend so much time with her, fully expecting to be wed to her, and not care?" Cagalli opened her mouth to speak, but Athrun held out a hand to stop her, his face carefully devoid of emotion. His voice was cold and final.

"Don't even say anything. You know _nothing_ about Lacus _or_ Kira. You don't deserve the right to talk about them as if you do. Now get out of my room." He stood up as well and opened the door. Speechless and humiliated, she passed through the doorway, casting a last glance at Athrun. He looked back at her with smoldering eyes, waiting. Her cheeks burned. How could he treat her like that after what they'd been through together? She turned away and held her chin up proudly, slamming the door behind her.

_Why were men such idiots?_

…

_What the _hell_ was wrong with him?_

Athrun was half-tempted to scream out the question as he sat alone in his room, thinking again. Why had he lashed out at Cagalli in the first place? He sighed heavily. He should be running after her to apologize, not wasting time thinking useless thoughts. But his recent behavior was unsettling. Their topic had been completely harmless to begin with.

"_Don't you think Kira and Lacus make a good match?"_

He hadn't really considered the notion before, he admitted to himself. For some reason, to him it had gone without saying that for the rest of their lives he and Kira would be together. It hadn't crossed his mind that Kira would want the company of Lacus. It was true that the two of them were together a lot, but Kira had never mentioned anything to him. No sheepish confessions of love, no starry-eyed syndrome, no special event for the two of them, come to think of it. More or less around the sort of relationship he had with Cagalli, until the day they'd had to fight the Dominion and its crew, anyway. He put a hand to his forehead wearily. It was all because of that kiss that he was slowly going crazy.

_What am I doing?_

God, he was such an idiot. Why had he even done it in the first place? Contrary to what Cagalli might have concluded from his past actions, he wasn't in love with her. She was a nice enough friend, he supposed, tolerable when she wasn't so angry with either Kira or him for doing something she disliked or disapproved of. But he knew what he felt, and it wasn't love, not the kind of love that made one dizzy and breathless. It wasn't the kind of love that awakened the instinct to protect.

_If I'm not in love with Cagalli…_

Even so, he knew that he had to find her. He had to apologize for his inexcusable stupidity, regardless of what reaction he would receive. He couldn't ruin a friendship forged in war, not when so few people could fully understand what he and the others had gone through to achieve peace.

Then whom do I love? 

He would apologize, and _then_ he would talk to Kira. He had missed out on so much ever since his departure for the PLANTs. He hadn't been there when his friend had needed him the most. Instead, he thought bitterly, he'd been off fighting a pointless war against Naturals. But that was over. The two of them were together again, and he would make the most of it.

…

"I guess… I should be honest with you." He spoke haltingly, as if unsure of his own thoughts. "You're a dear friend to me, Lacus, and you always will be." She watched eyes the hue of lavender meet her gaze, almost shyly. "But I don't love you."

She barely managed to refrain from flinching. She had known for a long time now, ever since she had first met Kira aboard the Archangel. She'd seen the warmth in his eyes when they had talked of Athrun, and had known that she could not possibly compete, no matter what she did. But hearing it for herself was still an unexpected slap in the face. She couldn't blame Kira; it wasn't his fault that Athrun had met him before she had. And she had promised to let him go and find his own happiness, if only in her heart. Tears fell from her eyes and dampened her cheeks before she could stop them. She lowered her head, unwilling to let Kira see her cry.

To have lost to a man, and to her fiancé, no less… Ex-fiancé, she reminded herself belatedly. She and Athrun had agreed mutually to cancel the engagement, each sensing that their relationship would progress no further. She had hoped that her bond with Kira would grow stronger, and perhaps… perhaps create a good ending for them both. A slender, callused hand laid gently over hers startled her from her thoughts.

"I don't love you," He repeated. "But I'm sure I will, in time. I will learn to. I _will_ love you. I want you to be happy." She laughed suddenly, and he regarded her, his earnest expression mingling with confusion. He sounded so determined, a soldier who held steadfast to the child-like conviction that he could somehow speed up the process of completing his objective by declaring that it happen. His words were so simple and guileless, that in spite of their current situation, she couldn't bring herself to wallow in sadness and self-pity any longer. Once again she was smiling, tears forgotten.

"Thank you, Kira." She let her fingertips lightly caress his cheek, shaking her head as she did so. "But I can't. You're meant for someone else." Briefly she closed her eyes and saw Athrun in her mind's eye, wistfully fingering a photograph of Kira and himself back on Earth, when he thought she hadn't been looking. "Someone I'm sure loves you even more than I do. Someone who can make _you_ happy."

"But, Lacus…!" She shook her head again, more firmly this time. He opened his mouth, then closed it reluctantly.

"I just want to be with you. That is enough to make me happy. Kira, do you really know who _you_ want to be with?" For a moment, there was a strange light in his violet eyes, and he seemed to be looking not at her but _through _her.

"I…" She cupped his face with her hands, her voice a mere whisper.

"It doesn't matter, Kira. I already know." Silence reigned in the room in that instant, broken only by the sound of a door being forcefully yanked open. She could feel Kira tense.

"Kira, have you seen Cagalli anywhere? I—" The voice broke off, replaced by ominous quiet. She froze involuntarily.

_Athrun?_

…

A/N: Well, that's it, end of Chapter II. Sorry about the overly long delay. Let me tell you that my drafts were deleted about three times, and I was on and off on the computer writing. Okay, I don't think Cagalli really redeemed herself here. Sorry about that, too! It seems my count was wrong. It will probably be around next chapter or two chapters from now. My older sister, who was my proof-reader, (not that she actually fixed the grammar and spelling or anything, just made comments on the scenes) said that she thinks Cagalli is the villain (LOL! Maybe she's right!) and that she (my sister) hates her (Cagalli). I apologize for the soap-opera-ness of it all… I think I read too many romance novels for my liking. I still stick with my theory of THE KISS, although I won't repeat the whole thing because this time I think I'm going to be clubbed to death by rabid AthrunxCagalli (AsuCaga) AND KiraxLacus fans. Yep, I'm that evil. Hopefully, the next chapter will be uploaded less than a week from today. Yes, I'm optimistic. Remember my promise to have this chappie in March:)

Hope you enjoyed reading!

-Rei:)


	4. The Pull of Gravity

A/N: Okay, so I lied. Again. I'm really really sorry, but I've been rather busy. My grandfather passed away recently, so I didn't really have time to attend to this. No worries, though, I'm back! I apologize for the inconsistency of updating, but I'm actually thankful I haven't given up on this fic. I usually don't last long when it comes to writing and concentrating on one fic. So, thanks for the support, guys! You rock! I'll definitely do my best!

To the reviewers:

First off, to Nevermore-Amaya: I hope you haven't gone insane yet. Here's the next chapter to keep you from going crazy. Sorry for the long update. I'm still trying not to procrastinate so much… hehe.

HeavenGoddess: Thanks for the compliments! Sure, I'll be happy to run to you when I'm stuck, and I'll make sure to send you my next chapter for approval. Hehe. I'm not a big KiraxLacus fan, and I can't stand AthrunxCagalli, so this was my retaliation. :)

Spyrit Phoenyx: Don't worry, that jump of POV was intended. I hope this chapter answers that question of yours. Yeah, I loved writing the Kira-Lacus scene, and truthfully, the way I portrayed Cagalli is how I saw her during Gundam Seed. I thought as a twin, she might have some insight as to why Athrun's acting strange.

SAGA123: Thanks! I'm trying to fix the mismatched couples from the series to where they rightfully should be (according to me, anyway).

Midori: Wow, thanks! I wish I had a hand in Destiny, though, so I could have fixed the warped relationships of Cagalli with Athrun and Athrun with Kira. I hope you have fun reading this chapter!

cheeseboi: Don't worry, here's the next chapter! Don't worry about review length, in fact I think the longer a review is, the better it becomes! So don't hesitate to tell me what you want to! And I hope you watch the reference episodes so you can see for yourself why I'm so adamant about AsuKira.

Kodoku Wolf: Well, now you _will_ know, right:)

TheTrueSilver: Hehe, sorry. I guess making others wait is in my nature. Anyway, thanks!

shadows-insanity and i love athrun: Sorry for the long update, and here's the latest chapter!

Happy reading!

-Rei:)

Chapter III – The Pull of Gravity

Before he had found Cagalli waiting in his room, he had been out. He'd thought that maybe it was the best time to be straightforward and ask Lacus if Kira knew anything about the cause for his and Cagalli's tension. He wasn't actually sure what was worse. If Kira knew, then it would pose a big problem to dissuade him from the mistaken notion that he _was_ in love with the blonde girl, but if he didn't know, it wasn't going to be any easier trying to explain what had prompted him to kiss a girl he considered no more than a friend. But he couldn't bear to keep something like that from Kira -- how would his closest companion be able to fully trust him if he continued to hide things from him? He had vowed to make a fresh start and heal the scars that war had inflicted on the both of them, but his fear to tell Kira of his mistake was a complete contradiction to that vow.

He cared about Kira more than anybody else around him; perhaps the only one he had felt so strongly about was his mother. He would have done anything to make him happy. Kira had lost so much more than he had, had thrown away all semblance of normalcy and sacrificed his happiness in order to defend the people who had been too weak to defend themselves. He felt more than partially responsible for this; if he had been on Heliopolis with Kira at the time, or had joined the Earth Alliance to support his friend instead of fighting against it, then maybe his spirit wouldn't have appeared so broken, a ghost of what he used to be before the chaos had all started. If he'd only been with Kira instead of in the PLANTs, then maybe he could have protected him. If only…

His feet had automatically come to a halt and he had been faintly surprised to see the door of the Eternal's unofficial commander in front of him. He had rapped his knuckles against the wood twice, but to no answer. Puzzled, he had twisted the doorknob experimentally to see if it was locked. It wasn't, and so he'd stepped inside, scanning the room for a sign of his ex-fiancée.

Funny, she's not here… 

"Lacus?" He had called out her name doubtfully. He hadn't really thought she was in there, hiding behind the closet ready to scream out 'boo!'. He had looked around again afterwards and had shaken his head.

_Looks like she really isn't here. Maybe I'll try again later._

That was what he had thought earlier, before returning to his room to think of what to say when he spotted her.

Now Athrun stood as still as a statue, unable to tear his eyes away from the picture he had witnessed. Lacus… with Kira? And her hands caught in a gesture that seemed vaguely familiar… she had been about to kiss the violet-eyed Coordinator, a part of his brain noted dispassionately.

"Athrun?" Lacus said weakly. If he hadn't been stuck in such an awkward situation, he might have laughed. She looked like a naughty kid who had been caught sticking his hand inside the cookie jar. Kira, on the other hand, had a little embarrassed smile on his face and a telltale flush to his cheeks.

"Uh… hi, Athrun!" Talk about bad timing, he thought sarcastically. No wonder Lacus hadn't been in her room. He managed to keep his expression neutral as he watched her struggle to regain her composure.

"Kira," He replied evenly. "I was going to ask you if you'd seen Cagalli, but I see you're… occupied at the moment. I'll just come back after a while." Kira said nothing and stared at the floor, but Lacus rose to her feet, shaking her head almost vehemently.

"No, Athrun. Stay with Kira, please." She smiled serenely at both of them. "The two of you should spend more time together, I think. I'll be going ahead, then. Enjoy yourselves." She made a graceful curtsy, then headed straight for the door. He moved to block her way.

"No. _You_ stay with Kira. _I'll_ be going ahead." As he pushed the door open, he heard the unmistakable ring of a gunshot and an explosion not far off from the crew's sleeping quarters. He shut the door and turned to Kira. Their eyes met across the room.

"Be careful, Athrun. Don't worry about us. I'll take care of Lacus." He gave a noncommittal grunt, suddenly not in the mood to talk, and then retrieved the .45 caliber pistol tucked in his jeans. He opened the door again.

_How the hell could this have happened? Insiders spying for another organization?_

Smoke dimmed the corridors as he ran squinting through the haze, his eyes watering. He saw a dark blur lunge at him.

_Dammit! It's so hard to see anything in this smoke…!_

He swung his left arm around wildly, and the pistol butt connected with the man's temple, sending him sprawling to the floor. He blinked his eyes. The smoke was slowly clearing. As the man reached inside his jacket, groaning, he shot the man's wrist, then his upper leg. The man's arm went slack. He continued running.

_Who planned this?_

The first shot to his right shoulder blade took him by surprise. Cursing, he flattened himself against the wall, He examined his wound, relieved it had only been a graze and the bullet had not lodged itself in his skin. He heard the attacker's muted footsteps nearing him, and he readied the pistol. Blindly he shot from his hiding place, stopping only when the return fire had ceased. Slowly he edged away from the wall, making sure that the man was truly dead. He shook his head when he saw the man's face. He could not be much older than Kira or himself, yet here he was, nothing more but a corpse.

A cut-off scream made him move again. Lacus was all right with Kira, but Cagalli… He reached her room in time to see her struggle against three fully-grown men. He smiled faintly when one of them went flying from a well-aimed roundhouse kick, and the other thrown hard against the wall. It looked like he didn't have much left to do. He pulled off the safety and fired two consecutive rounds at the remaining thug, then stepped out from his hiding place. She barely glanced at him twice, rummaging through the dead men's clothes.

"Cagalli, are you all right?" She had stopped her search and was looking at something in her hand with a horrified expression. Athrun repeated the question mechanically, but he felt more annoyed than worried now. Her eyes were fearful when they met his gaze.

"They're after Kira."

…

He hadn't been having trouble keeping his enemies at bay. He had used himself to shield Lacus, defending themselves with only his bare hands. Although it was an unfair fight, with six of them against his one, he had been holding his own against them, even winning. But then everything started to go wrong.

He had been praying for Athrun to return soon. He had sensed that once the fight was over, Athrun would distance himself from Kira. He had wanted things to work out with Lacus because he'd thought it would make her happy, but in the end he had known that it wasn't meant to be. When Athrun had appeared, his face unreadable, he had felt his heart sinking. Almost like he had been ashamed to have been caught alone with Lacus. He couldn't understand that because Lacus was his friend, but the way those starkly emerald eyes had seemed to emit anger, confusion and disappointment gnawed greatly at him. Athrun had probably taken one look and derived his own conclusion about what Kira had been doing with Lacus. What could he have said? He wanted to explain himself to him, tell him nothing had happened, but from the stubborn set of Athrun's mouth he knew his friend wouldn't have listened. And that was when the pieces of the incomprehensible puzzle masquerading as his emotions all clicked together.

He watched in what felt like slow motion as the door unmercifully got kicked open and Athrun made his entrance, gun cocked and ready to fire. Everyone turned to stare at the newcomer. The ex-ZAFT pilot's face was contorted into an ugly snarl. Kira's heart was beating rapidly. The entire scene felt wrong. Why weren't they doing anything/

One of the men smiled thinly, and then without warning, Athrun crumpled lifelessly to the floor. Blood streaked the side of his temple.

_What is it…?_

_What is it that I feel whenever I look at him?_

"No! Athrun!" He heard someone howling in rage… was that him? He whirled around, lashing out at the figures around him futilely. They had surrounded him. Where was Lacus? Was she safe? His grin was feral when his fist connected with a jaw, creating a sound like wood splinters snapping. Someone's nose, broken. His knuckles felt bloodied and bruised. A kick to the solar plexus and an involuntary gasp.

"…a Berserker!" His vision was tainted with red.

_How… long…?_

Athrun's face burned in his mind. Laughing. Smiling. Serious. Frowning. Worried. Angry. Wistful. Sad. Lonely. Hurt. Furious. Desperate. Cold. Warm. Every memory he'd ever had of the two of them flashed before his eyes.

_So… Lacus was right after all. I always wondered why…_

He felt himself falling, and a soft laugh escaped his lips.

_I've fallen in love with Athrun, haven't I?_

A/N: And so it's another cliffhanger. I seem to be getting really good at that. Another chapter over, and I still have about half of the story not done. Or even more than half. I'm not sure, actually. I hope you liked this chapter, and I'll do my best to update, but I can't promise an exact time limit. Feel free to e-mail me if you guys have any ideas you might want me to take into consideration, okay? Thanks for the reviews!

-Rei:)


	5. Point of Intersection

A/N: I don't own Gundam Seed. The only things I can claim as mine are this plot, some irrelevant OCs, a major OC (it's a boy, not a girl… I find that it's a major pain to write one…'Sides, I can never get their personalities right.) and his parents and a few nonexistent UN members. That's all. (bow) Thanks to all my reviewers! Although I do wonder what was the point of hollys' review. I _did_ say it was AsuKira, and to be more technically correct, this fic of mine is shounen-ai only, not yaoi. Yaoi has sexual content; this doesn't.

Nevermore-Amaya – Yep, that's how it was mentioned once in the English dub anyway. I have no idea if the term's relevant in the Japanese version. Anyway, I don't know anymore… I think you're going to want to clobber me over the head after this chapter, and I won't say I blame you. But I think… you _might _be somewhat satisfied. It all depends on how you read this, really. Look for my hidden point at the end of the chapter!

cheeseboi – Yo! It's all right, I've more or less gotten over it, but thanks for the concern. You know, I go crazy too when I drink too much coke, hehe. Here's the next chapter, so enjoy, and no, I'm not going to kill you. I think hyper people are cute. Oh, and yeah, Kira slept with Flay… quite surprising, huh?

HeavenGoddess – No worries, there's really no point to this story if I killed Athrun off, right? He's just a little sore. Sorry about the cliffhangers… I can't stop myself from making them. It's such delightful fun keeping everyone in suspense, ehe. Anyway, after you read this, I think I'll give you an e-mail on what I plan to do next, since I've given up trying to tell my uncooperative older sister the plot.

shadows-insanity and Shadow Vampiress – I have updated! I bet you guys are already thinking of ways to suck the creative juices out of my head for being so inconstant, and I'm really sorry! I had this idea in mind all along, but I just couldn't seem to write it down right away. Hope you enjoy this!

RuByMoOn17 – You're about to find out exactly what, but don't worry, he's in good hands.

Midori – Thanks for the continuous encouragement! Your words always make me feel so happy to be writing. Anyway, don't worry about the fight scenes; I'm not a fan of overly descriptive fight scenes either. Sorry about the cliffhanger, and I hope this chapter satisfies you.

Moopachoo – Sorry, sorry! What can I say, I was a little busy and also more than a little lazy. But now that it's out, I hope you have fun reading!

Spyrit Phoenyx – Sorry about the long update! Ehe… and I can't shove them into a closet just yet. I need more drama (mock wail)! And a new character's making an appearance (it's an OC, but don't hate it just yet, please) so tension can increase to a higher level! Yay! Anyway, enjoy!

Reiven – Ah… great minds think alike! You express my dislike for Cagalli all too well… thanks for leaving me a review and I hope you enjoy this chapter! And I swear, every time I read yours I keep laughing my ass off, LOL! Nice wording!

ZGMF X – 19A Infinite Justice – I apologize for cliffhangers… but that naturally comes with my style and I hope you'll bear up with it long enough to see through the end. Enjoy the chapter! (Be warned though, I think it's a cliffhanger too!)

FreezingSoul – How could I kill Athrun? Then Kira would be left with nobody, and nobody wants that! Don't worry, Athrun will recover, yeah? Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Sesshomaru'sbabygirl – Hey, I like Sesshomaru too:) Anyway, I can't help the cliffhangers, sorry, but here's the next chapter for you to read!

IgnorantSkittle – Thanks for reviewing! Here's my next chapter, so hope you enjoy!

…

Chapter IV – Point of Intersection

The world was flecked with spots of black and white. At least, that was what his eyes told him. He raised a hand to the right side of his head and winced at the feel of a warm and sticky substance. Blood. It looked like he had taken a hard blow to the head. Did he have a concussion? He stood up gingerly, suppressing a groan at the twinge on his shoulder reminding him of the bullet wound there.

_The explosion, and Cagalli cornered by three men, then going back to Kira's room… that I can remember, but what happened afterwards? _

Where was Kira? He surveyed his surroundings with some difficulty, the numerous bloodstains spattering the walls and floor barely registering. How long had it been since he was out? A blurry figure lying still on the bed, gagged and tied, caught his eye. Kira…? He approached it sluggishly, staggering. Everything seemed to have acquired a mirror image, including the person in front of him. As he came closer, he blinked.

"Lacus?" Automatically he started undoing the knots. Her wrists and ankles had been bound, rendering it impossible for her to move, let alone stand up. But she looked mostly unharmed, except for the rope burns.

_At least that's one less casualty. What about Cagalli and the rest of the crew, though? _He refrained from thinking about Kira, knowing that he could do nothing but reorganize the wrecked state of the Eternal. Any actions now on his part wouldn't be wise, considering he was injured and far from a condition to pilot Justice in an attempt to find traces of the intruders who escaped. When all the preparations were done, though, he would leave. The bandana used to silence Lacus was compressed tightly into a ball as he gripped it in one hand.

_Why can't the damned war ever end for us?_

He walked away from her and stared woodenly through the glass window. Behind him, he could hear Lacus coughing.

"Athrun, we need to talk. About Kira…" He cut her off brusquely.

"Don't. There's nothing to explain. I saw everything." He was glad he wasn't facing her; he knew she would immediately see the surge of anger reflected in his eyes. Anger towards what, though? He should be relieved that everything appeared to be going smoothly for his friend. Instead, he felt like a sword had been plunged through his chest. To have to share Kira with Lacus seemed unthinkable. He had been too used to having Kira for himself, to just _being_ with him and _knowing_ that he was wanted and needed by his side as only the closest friends could be, to contemplate what kind of life he would lead without him.

"Why do you jump to conclusions?" Her voice was quiet. "How could you think Kira would betray your trust so easily? Nothing happened before that explosion." He turned around.

"What were you doing in his room, then?" He challenged her, eyes flashing. "You certainly didn't look like you were there just to talk." He knew he had overstepped the line. Stiffly she rose from her seat, met his gaze evenly, and then soundly slapped him.

"Don't ever imply anything like that again, Athrun Zala." She was icily calm, tone imperious. "Not when you're guilty of the same thing." His cheek stung, but he had deserved that. It was what she had said that unsettled him. Did she mean about that strange incident the other day inside Kira's room…? No. It left only one thing, then.

"Does he… know?" The words were out before he could stop them.

"Yes." The unspoken accusation died on his lips as she continued. "_He_ saw everything."

…

"You mean to say that you failed to capture the Coordinator, who had been regularly dosed with tranquilizers?" The man's voice was silk, but the soldier standing in front of him shuffled his feet uneasily and resisted the urge to squirm.

"Sir, yes sir." It was an effort to keep the fear out of his voice. Of all the men who were on post, it just _had_ to be his ass that was sent out to deliver a report. He considered himself a hardened man, but an encounter with the superior always left him shaking in his shoes and trembling afterwards. This time was no different. Five minutes in his presence felt like five days. And it seemed the superior was in no particular hurry to finish the interrogation.

"Very well, Private Langley. Would you, by any chance, have at least a _general_ idea of his current location?" The other man fingered the silver earring on his left earlobe absent-mindedly, almost as if he was bored. The soldier's face was grim as he acknowledged that. When the superior got bored, they said bad things happened. Those things usually involved violence and whoever had the misfortune to be with him in the room. Now he was more determined than ever to get out as soon as possible.

"Sir, he was last spotted boarding a bus headed for Tokyo." The glint in his commanding officer's eye made him take an involuntary step backwards. Shit. His report had taken too long. He debated whether to run for it or throw himself at the other man's feet and beg to be spared from the punishment. He thought about doing both, but he was interrupted.

"Thank you, Private Langley. Kindly leave your written analysis on the mission and its details, please. I would like to be alone. You are dismissed." With a thin smile, he was forgotten and was halfway out the door when he heard a sigh spring from his superior's lips.

"Why?"

…

All the blood had drained from his face. Lacus was getting alarmed. Had Athrun somehow fallen ill? She reached out instinctively, and then stopped. His expression was one of extreme disgust and self-loathing.

"This is all some damn mistake." His breathing was ragged, eyes half-wild with desperation, fury and bewilderment. He took another deep breath.

"DAMMIT!" He threw the pistol angrily across the room, just as Cagalli came bursting through the door. She glared at him pointedly.

"Guns are for shooting with, not throwing." He cast a baleful stare at the blonde girl, but said nothing. Abruptly Cagalli stepped closer to Lacus.

"I think you need to see this." She held out a piece of paper. Taking it, Lacus stifled a gasp. The photograph was ordinary enough in itself; two teenage boys shoulder to shoulder in a way that signified the closeness of their relationship was hardly rare. But the faces facing the camera made it different. The striking green eyes, midnight blue hair and serious expression clearly identified one of them as Athrun, while the other boy, with his cheeky grin, unruly chestnut strands and violet eyes was undeniably Kira.

And it was the exact same photograph that Athrun had.

…

He was so tired… where was he? Hazily Kira tried to recall the signs that he had spotted earlier on, but the images eluded his grasp. He had woken up severely disoriented some time ago inside a shuttle, but before he could try to find out more or get away from his kidnappers, a needle containing some sort of tranquilizer had regularly been injected into his bloodstream and rendered him unconscious. It was not until he had been moved inside another mode of transportation, a nondescript blue Volkswagen Beetle that looked it had seen better days, that he had snapped out of his trance and used the space constrictions to escape. When all the men were outside trying unsuccessfully to repair the car, which had shortly before broken down, he had taken the opportunity to catch them by surprise and make his getaway.

Running away had not been easy. His head had been banged repeatedly against the wall during the previous fight, which he guessed might have earned him an injury, and he had been nicked several times by bullets fired to deter him from venturing far from them. As it was, he had lost blood, although he had no idea how much, and after hitching a ride on a bus, he had ended up lost. He supposed that it was better to be lost than dead, anyway.

The weather was unbearably warm, and the heat did nothing to ease his fatigue. He told himself to keep walking, but his legs didn't seem to want to obey him. Blood was seeping from his wounds, and although he could attempt to stop the bleeding, he didn't trust his hands to do the job properly. Already they shook from tiredness. He barely managed to keep himself from collapsing on the ground to take a well-deserved nap for a while.

_Athrun… where are you? I need to see you… need to tell you how I feel…_

He had unknowingly made his way into a park, where water erupted from exquisitely sculpted fountains, and people quietly spent time together uninterrupted sitting on benches. He willed his limbs to work long enough for him to occupy an empty bench. Back leaning against cold metal, he closed his eyes.

_Just for… a little while…_

When he opened his eyes, he saw Athrun seated next to him, concern evident in his eyes. Kira smiled weakly.

"Athrun…" Athrun had found him, he realized. He had always wound up separated from the person he cared most about, but Athrun had never given up. Once again his blue-haired friend had come for him. "I knew… you'd find me somehow."

Emerald eyes regarded him with an intense expression. "How?"

"I can't explain it." Kira could only shrug helplessly in reply. "I just knew you would." A sudden feeling of contentment washed over him. Impulsively he threw his arms tightly around Athrun.

"I'm home."

The other boy hesitated fractionally, and then carefully placed his arms around Kira. A single tear slid down his cheek.

"Welcome back."

…

A/N: See what I mean by OCs? Quite a messy chapter, which took me I think about three months to write. Sorry about that. It's just that I keep making revisions, so it takes me longer. Okay, the next chapter in TWT will be dedicated to anyone who can tell me what just happened in the last scene. Guys, I would very much appreciate comments and suggestions. Let me know what you think!

Oh yeah, if the scenes sound impossible, please, don't bother telling me. I already know. I just did them 'cause they sounded cool to me. Hehe. Hurray for Cagalli! She actually seems to have grown somewhat immune to Athrun's charms. The following chapters, I hope, will be even better for her. And does anyone have any ideas on how to stick Yzak (shouldn't it be spelled like Isaac except said weirdly in Japanese?) and Dearka in the fic? I _really really _want to put them here, but I'm having trouble expanding the area to include them. Send me anything you have in mind!

Ciao, then! Have to do my Biology homework, and my mom's bound to catch me goofing off any moment!

-Rei:)


	6. Monochromatic

**Two-Way Ticket**

By Rei Tomiyama

A/N: The majority of the chapter will probably be about a week or so after Kira passed out and on Athrun's part, probably still the same day or a day after, so please accept my apology for the confusion this chapter will cause. My reasoning is that time in space is different from time on Earth.

Oh yeah, that Private Langley guy is going to be appearing a few more times in the story, but he's not a major character, so please don't get alarmed.

Another major OC will make his entrance here, but I'll provide an explanation at the end, so again, no worries!

On another note, I'd like to clarify something that I missed when I was doing the last chapter: the picture of Kira and Athrun in their teens is highly unlikely, considering the time apart they spent, but just pretend that it doesn't matter for the sake of the story, okay:)

Oh, and there will be some _very_ befuddling scenes. Some of them will be flashbacks, but I'm hoping you guys will figure out what's going on before I start spouting what could be spoilers. It's not Kira who's doing the flashbacks, though, so pay attention!

So sorry for the delayed update! Waaaaaah! I ran into writer's block, and I didn't want to post something that wouldn't represent my best effort. Haha… anyways, sorry again! Enjoy the chapter, and I'm reeeeaaaallly sorrrryyyy I took so long!

I haven't had a chance to thoroughly read the reviews you've generously sent, so the replies will come next time, all right?

Ahem…Now on with the chapter!

Chapter V - Monochromatic

The buzzing noise erupted in the mess hall less than ten minutes after the soldiers had received permission to eat. All around, men could be seen frantically shoving hands in their pockets to retrieve their cell phones, heads shaking in puzzlement when they saw that the call hadn't been intended for them. Of course, Private Langley was no exception to the rule.

That is, until he realized that the phone call was actually for him. Smiling back sheepishly at the uproar he had indirectly caused, he flipped the tiny piece of equipment open and spoke into the mouthpiece, voice muffled.

"Hello?" From the other end of the line, he could hear a light, pleasant laugh resounding. He frowned; was someone trying to pull a prank on him?

"Have I called at an inconvenient time, Private Langley?" The speaker's voice was tinged with amusement. He sounded vaguely familiar…

"No sir." Again the barely-contained laughter. The man obviously knew him, and yet refused to give away his name. Who was it?

"Tell the commander that the Coordinator has been placed under surveillance and will not pose an immediate threat to his objectives." Langley's face paled when the spark of recognition kicked in.

"Sir, yes sir." It was the young brigadier-general with a silver earring… but how? And why him?

"Good. And private?" His superior sounded odd… not at all like when he made his official reports. He swallowed nervously.

"S-sir?"

"I would prefer you to finish chewing your food before you attempt to converse with me." There was a _click_ and the dial tone replaced the call. Langley felt himself flush slightly at the comment.

_Was it that obvious I was eating?_

…

His face was the very picture of rage. Cagalli felt that she was looking at a complete stranger, and involuntarily, she took a cautious step backwards. She had never seen Athrun so angry, not even when he had commanded her to leave his room days ago.

"Give me that!" He snapped, closing the distance with quick and furious strides and snatching the photograph out of her hands. His eyes narrowed. "Where did you get this?" She could feel her temper flare up. Who did he think he was talking to?

"Athrun, stop that!" Lacus seemed to realize what track the situation was heading towards; the two of them continually breathing on each other's necks wouldn't do them any good. "I know this picture is important to you," She continued, her voice gentler. "But we also have to treat it as a piece of evidence. Maybe if we think hard enough, we might be able to figure out who's behind this abduction."

For a while, Athrun was silent, his attention focused solely on the glossy piece of paper, all traces of anger giving way to the face of a saddened young boy. Then quietly, he said, "We used Kira's camera and had a bystander take the picture. I was in ZAFT by then, Kira studying in Heliopolis. I asked for a three-day leave, and I visited his school. Kira kept the roll of film, but I had him duplicate one picture.

"I never thought it would make him the target of a terrorist organization." Flipping the picture to the back, he started. It wasn't blank, like he had expected. There were words written in Japanese characters. The ink was slightly faded, but he could make out what it said.

Yamato Kira has always faced west. Change his mind and send him to the east.

He hadn't realized he had spoken aloud until both girls looked at him questioningly. Blinking, he said by way of explanation, "It was written at the back of the picture." They moved closer to take a look, but shook their heads helplessly when they saw the intricate _kanji_.

"We've always used the Roman alphabet… I'm afraid I can't be of assistance, Athrun." Lacus sounded genuinely embarrassed. Cagalli just shrugged.

"Well, since _you_ can read it, I'm sure you'll figure out exactly what that means." Then the two of them had left, Lacus carefully easing the door behind her.

Yamato Kira has always faced west…

Kira was on the left side of the picture, wasn't he? A quick look confirmed his suspicions. That solved the facing west part… But why did the writer put always? _Eien_ could roughly be translated as always, but…

Always… always… Athrun ran the word over and over in his head. The word had to mean something important… like maybe a certain place or item that was needed. _Think, Athrun, think! What does it mean?_

The Eternal! Kira's location had been given away by using the Japanese word _eien_! There was still the matter of where he had gone, though… _Higashi_ was the character for east, and according to the writer of the little riddle, Kira had been sent there. That could mean that there was a place that used the word _higashi_, and from the writing he could safely assume the place was somewhere in Japan, but where was it?

Minutes passed. His thinking had not produced any results. His knowledge of Japan was limited at best, and so far as he knew, there was no place with a name bearing a resemblance to _higashi_. He could feel his frustration mounting. Kira was out there, kidnapped because of his abilities as a Coordinator, and he couldn't even do anything… they were going to brainwash him, and he would end up fighting against his best friend again. His heart constricted at the thought.

_I would do anything to prevent that from happening…_

The answer hit him unexpectedly. It was so obvious, but he had carelessly overlooked it from the start. He hadn't been looking for the right thing. Instead of _higashi_, he should have used the _kanji_ itself as a basis. And there was one place that immediately came to mind using the symbol for east.

Tou-kyou.

Or in the Roman alphabet, Tokyo.

…

"Hey…" He felt a hand shake his shoulder lightly. "You need to wake up." Muttering incoherently under his breath, he feigned ignorance and turned over to the left side. The shaking continued. The violet-eyed boy let out an annoyed sigh and shoved a pillow on his face. Why did Athrun have to bug him? It probably wasn't even seven o'clock in the morning. Surely he could afford another few hours of sleep.

"Leave me alone." He managed to yawn out. The pressure on his arm stopped. Athrun had probably given up on him, thank God, and had hurried downstairs already to cook breakfast. Hopefully waffles or pancakes. Or maybe both. He couldn't help but smile drowsily. His friend's culinary skills far surpassed his own, and he wasn't unwilling to acknowledge that.

"So you want to play rough, huh?" Blearily Kira opened his eyes just in time to see the mischievous grin on the blue-haired teenager's face and let out a high-pitched, unmanly shriek.

And then the tickling torture began. Kira was laughing so hard he thought his sides would burst.

_No fair… Athrun knows I'm definitely more ticklish than he is!_

In an effort to get away from his tormenter, who had successfully pinned him down to the bed, Kira grabbed his friend's shoulders and used his weight to turn the tables. Smiling down at a pair of emerald eyes, he jokingly asked, "My win?"

…

Setsuna froze imperceptibly, his heart pounding frantically. Did he remember…?

In his mind, he was slightly out of breath, once again a boy of no more than six years pressing his forehead against the forehead of his younger playmate. His face was solemn as he gazed into eyes the color of twilight. "My win, Kira?"

Mentally Setsuna shook his head. Quickly recovering, he snorted, an almost inaudible answer escaping his lips. "You wish." Before Kira knew it, they were rolling off the bed and had gracelessly come to a halt on the wooden floor. Slightly jarred, but otherwise uninjured, Kira looked worriedly at Setsuna, who had taken the brunt of the impact.

"You okay?" Gingerly untangling himself from the mess of limbs, Kira extended a hand. Setsuna heard himself laugh. He found himself wondering again, much to his dismay, how much Kira could recall from a summer that was nearly eleven years ago.

"Aa! No fair… Setsuna, you're older than me! You cheated!" Lips turned into an endearing pout, his smaller friend had stared at him with bright violet eyes half-hidden beneath chestnut bangs. Setsuna had smiled back indulgently.

"_Sou da na_, I probably did." After concluding that Kira was the winner by default, he had sunken into a pensive mood, voicing a thought in his head. "You know, your name really suits you." He tweaked Kira's nose playfully, much to the other's chagrin. Kira had frowned, puzzled.

"Why?"

"Because when you smile, your eyes…" In his mind, Setsuna knew the word perfectly. K_ira-kira_. But it sounded like such a childish word. He was nearly seven, surely he knew better words than _kira-kira_.

"They sparkle." He had concluded lamely. There had been a pang in his chest and he had bitten his lip. He hadn't told Kira that he would be going away. He had been selfish, wanting only to see those sparkling eyes before he left, burning it into memory.

Those eyes still sparkled, Setsuna was aware of that, but they no longer did so for him.

They were for a boy named Athrun.

…

"Thanks." The reply had come late, perhaps more than a minute already since he had grabbed hold of Kira's hand. His eyes straying, unsure of what to say, Kira saw a flash of blue at the corner of his vision. Risking a glance down, he found out what it was.

A waterfall of midnight blue strands spilling on the floor, carelessly tied off at the end. His blood ran cold. _Athrun doesn't have long hair_ ran repeatedly through his head, but still his brain refused to process the information.

Did that mean, then…?

He forcibly wrenched his gaze away and stared once again into those green eyes. No, Athrun didn't have long hair, but aside from that everything else had been flawlessly duplicated. If he hadn't noticed the discrepancy, he might have fallen for the guise.

"Kira?" Belatedly, he managed a sheepish smile and an apology for not listening. The Athrun-look-alike waved the apology away and smiled back, then stood up, halted right in front of him, bent and unexpectedly touched his forehead against Kira's forehead. He felt a faint flush come to his cheeks. Athrun or not, his appearance was still convincing.

_He even smells like Athrun… like mint and the fragrance of soap, _he noted almost dismally They were so close their noses were almost touching.

His thoughts drifted. This man had saved him, probably from dying, so he wasn't an enemy. But why had he disguised himself to look exactly like Athrun, and why had he let Kira assume that he was Athrun?

"Who are you? And where are we?" He blurted the words out before he could re-think them. The man smiled gently, and Kira felt a keen sense of _déjà vu_. Had he met this guy somewhere else before?

"Murasaki Setsuna." Then he… no, Setsuna, Kira corrected himself mentally, straightened up and walked to the window, pulling the blinds up as he did so. He winced as the bright sunlight hit his eyes.

"And this, ex-Strike pilot, is Tokyo, Japan."

…

A/N: Well, the end of another chapter. Ho-hum! As for mystery guy, Setsuna… well, I don't really want to give too much away, but to get the facts straight, he was a childhood friend of Kira's, and aside from the long hair (I find guys with long hair to be sexy LOL) is the splitting image of Athrun. Setsuna remembers Kira, but Kira doesn't remember him. Kinda sad, isn't it? More cute childhood scenes will come in the next chapter, hopefully, and I think the other guys (Dearka, Yzak, etc.) will most definitely (and at long last) make their much-awaited appearance in the next chapter.

So, why does Setsuna know Kira's the Strike pilot? Who will ever find out the identity of the weird guy Private Langley was talking to? Why did Athrun solve the puzzle so fast? Can't answer the first two, but as for Athrun and my little puzzle… well, I just quickly thought it up, I'm learning a bit of _kanji_ myself, and I found it fascinating that east with another character becomes Tokyo. If you found the puzzle to be too confusing, try to read Athrun's explanation again. I tried to include everything I'd thought of when solving it myself. If you still don't get it, send me an e-mail at I'll be happy to clarify whatever points were unclear.

On a random note, I was just watching Naruto earlier, and is it just me, or does Sasuke flashback a lot? 'Specially during his fight with Naruto on top of those two statues (whatever they are, I'm not completely informed about Naruto yet)… he takes up about three-fourths of the episode just doing his stupid flashbacks! I mean, who cares? The show isn't named Sasuke, so why is he such a scene stealer? Argh! Stupid Sasuke! My vacation's about to end and yet all you've done is angst over Itachi!

Haha… anyway, don't mind me. Just a frustrated SasuNaru fan… make that SasuNaru, NejiNaru and GaaNaru fan. Hey, the more the merrier:) Oh, and ItaNaru… but yeah, aside from that, I'm completely neutral. So long as it doesn't involve Sasuke and a certain Haruno Sakura. I get the shivers just thinking about that. No offense to SasuSaku fans out there, though.

Thank you for being so patient with me! I hope I don't disappoint! Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you want to be in on my plans for this fic or whatever.

Later,

-Rei:)


	7. Laws of Causality

Two Way Ticket

Gundam Seed Fic

A/N: Forgive me, readers! Here is now the next special chapter of TWT! I'd planned to make it before classes started, but due to procrastination I finished it this Friday, just as the first week of classes ended. I ask for your forgiveness, and hope that you will all enjoy reading this chapter as I did writing it. This chapter mostly features Setsuna, so apologies for those who were expecting an Athrun appearance soon. We need Setsuna to make the plot burn, okay?

Dedicated to all those reviewers who pushed me to completing the next installment and had faith in me despite my overly-long retirement from the fanfic world. I'm back!

Thanks!

-Rei

A/N: Thanks, HeavenGoddess…I haven't watched it in so long I'd forgotten. Damn. Anyway, making that correction now, and apologies for any further inconsistencies. Don't hesitate to point them out, alright?

A/N: Crikey, Tsukiko Towa, thanks for the tip! What was I thinking?!? Apologies, and I'm correcting it right now, so I hope you keep reading despite my mistakes!

Chapter Six – Laws of Causality

Setsuna was almost eight years old when a little boy with the most brilliant violet eyes wandered into his room purely by accident.

The melody of _Sonata no. 15 _by a long-dead Austrian composer named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was blooming from his fingertips, and he was unaware of anything but the music resounding from the black and white keys.

Then a door slammed right behind him, and the mood was broken. He turned his head to sharply reprimand whichever parent had thoughtlessly interrupted his daily piano practice.

Instead his chin collided with the top of someone's head. Setsuna barely restrained from muttering an obscenity he had heard his father use often. It felt as if his lower teeth had been jarred from the impact. Rubbing gingerly at the sore area, he looked down and came face to face with innocently blinking violet eyes under uneven strands of dark brown hair. He couldn't completely keep himself from blushing slightly.

_So…so cute!_

"Who are you?" The owner of those eyes asked curiously. Somehow, he felt that he should have been the one asking the same question. Where had this little kid come from? Was it a he or a she? How did he/she get to his house in the first place? Upon closer inspection, he concluded that the kid was a girl. No boy could possibly look so pretty, his mind insisted. Deciding to be friends with her, Setsuna smiled at the newcomer and opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm Setsuna. What's your name?" She smiled back unhesitatingly.

"I'm Kira! Wanna be friends?" When had he last had a friend over to the house, he wondered. It felt like such a long time ago…until this little girl had come over to play.

"Okay." And then, "Why are you here?" His newfound friend giggled impishly.

"I got lost."

It didn't take very long afterwards for him to correct his assumption that Kira was a girl. Eventually his parents had knocked on the door and entered the room to find the two of them playing _Hungarian Dance no. 5_ _en quatre mains_, only halted by occasional and random bursts of laughter. Following his parents were two more adults whose faces Setsuna didn't recognize; Kira's parents? The father smiled congenially at him.

"It looks like Setsuna-kun has already met our son, Kira." The shock made him miss a measure, but he quickly recovered, silently counting out the beats until he could rejoin those small, fragile-looking hands dancing to the hypnotizing rhythm.

_Son?_

Kira was nodding her—scratch that, his head in time to the music. "Uh-huh, Setsuna and I are friends now!" He exclaimed happily. Setsuna failed to catch the rest of the conversation until his fingers stopped moving of their own accord.

"As expected, Kira-kun is an excellent musician. If you wished, he could take lessons with our Setsuna."

"We will gratefully accept the invitation. It will be a good chance for Kira to be with someone his age."

"Likewise."

Around sunset, Kira had waved a cheery goodbye and kissed a surprised Setsuna on the cheek. 'Because that's what two people who like each other do', he'd explained proudly. Setsuna was left with his palm resting gently against his cheek. The memory of the contact made his heart thump strangely faster. Unconsciously he pressed a hand over his chest in a vain effort to make it return to normal.

The two sets of parents, his mother informed him the day after, were all good friends who had met in Tokyo during a summer vacation. They had not heard from each other for a while, so they were pleasantly astonished to find out they were now next door neighbors in a satellite nation. His mother, Leanne, had muffled a giggle of her own when they were talking about Kira as they both drank mugs of hot chocolate to ward off the cold of artificial rain.

"He's such a cute boy, isn't he?" He smiled immediately at the mention of his new friend. What a beautiful, unusual color Kira's eyes were… and how straightforward he was. Setsuna, who had never been able to honestly say his feelings to others, even his parents, felt a little envious of the younger boy who had courage to speak out what he thought.

"Yes, mother, he is." She beckoned with a hand for him to sit closer to her, and without understanding the reason why, he reluctantly agreed. His mother then bent to whisper in his ear.

"Kira's mother called earlier and told me something I thought you might want to know, Setsuna." Curiosity piqued, he looked up at her mischievous green eyes.

"Your cute friend has…hmm…announced that his plan for the future is to become Setsuna's _o-yome-san_!" He coughed and sputtered violently, and Leanne burst into merry laughter while thumping her distraught son's back.

"_O-o-yome-san_!?!" _O-yome-san _was a traditional term used to refer to Japanese brides. Setsuna involuntarily turned crimson when his brain decided to provide him with an unhelpful image of Kira in a kimono.

(A/N: kekeke, lecherous Setsuna at age 8…)

"Does he even know what he's saying?" He asked desperately. The two of them had only met yesterday, and this kind of talk already…plus knowing his mother's playfulness... His mother must have conspired with Kira's mother to embarrass them both, he was sure. Otherwise a five year old, as he had been informed Kira was, wouldn't say such things!

"Of course he does, darling, Kira's a second-generation Coordinator at the very least. Coordinators' children are precocious by nature. He must really like you a lot, _ne_? What do you think, Setsuna? Do you want to be Kira's _danna_? Just say so, and papa and I will prepare for the ceremony when you're both of age. _Uwaa_, you'll look so handsome in traditional _hakama_ and Kira will look the perfect _o-yome_! I can't wait!"

"Mo-mother!" Setsuna practically wailed in embarrassment. With a tinkling laugh she sent him back to his room, face burning. That day he must have practiced five hours on the piano, at the very least.

The following morning Kira came to the house again, his smile as bright as the sun. Setsuna, although feeling a little awkward from the conversation with his mother, didn't have the heart to turn those violet eyes away.

"Do you know how to cook?" The younger boy asked, head tilted to the side. He nodded, but was puzzled with Kira's subsequent request.

"Can you teach me how to cook breakfast?" He had wanted to teach Kira how to cook omelets, but deciding that anything involving oil might not be the best decision for someone whose head barely reached the top of the gas stove without stepping on a stool, the two of them ended up making pancakes.

"Keep stirring it like that," he directed his new friend. "Oh, and you have a smudge of flour on the corner of your cheek." Kira attempted to wipe it away with the back of his hand, but instead smeared himself with a line of pancake batter. Setsuna laughed; the chestnut-haired boy looked like he was on the way to becoming a savage with war paint.

"Nice try." He reached out to wipe the streak away, but at the last moment withdrew his hand and swiped it off using his tongue, to the dismay of a ticklish Kira. He licked his lips, feeling like a five year old himself, and grinned triumphantly.

"Pancake batter is good!" Kira howled at the injustice, quickly pouncing on him.

"Lemme taste that too!"

And that was how Setsuna, against the cold tiles of the kitchen floor, had his clumsy first kiss taken by an irrepressible five year old who seemed more interested in how the batter tasted than the silliness and strange adult-ness underlying the situation.

"Is that what the _o-yome-san_ does?" Kira asked in a hushed whisper, much, much later. Setsuna wearily nodded.

"Are you really serious about becoming one?" The younger boy, cheeks slightly red, nodded as well.

"How did you know I wanted to be Setsuna's _o-yome-san_?" For some reason, he didn't want to say that his mother had told him. He formed another reply, one that he found would make Kira happier.

"I just had a feeling." Kira regarded him shyly with worried eyes, eyebrows furrowed and teeth absently chewing his lower lip.

"Will it be…a nuisance if I want to be?" A genuine smile lifted the corners of Setsuna's mouth.

"No, never a nuisance. Not even if you can't cook and I have to do everything at home." He received an indignant huff in response.

"I won't be useless! I'll learn how to cook!" Setsuna watched with hidden amusement as his newly-dubbed _o-yome-san _proceeded to melt the butter in the skillet.

…

Murasaki Setsuna suffered the unpleasant welcome trip back to reality as he turned away from the window and stared at the boy who had made a childish and ridiculous promise to be his bride.

"How did you know I was the Strike pilot?" Kira asked in a carefully-controlled voice. Setsuna could see, however, that those violet eyes belied the calm exterior that had been adopted, and he smiled as he answered.

"I just had a feeling." No sign of recognition, not even an involuntary blink, nothing. What did this mean? Coordinators had far superior memory than Naturals…unless it had been tampered with.

"What do you mean by that?" The Earth Alliance's most effective weapon was looking him in the face, but he could not find it in himself to be threatened. Wasn't this the same child who had thoughtlessly burnt three pancakes in a row before he'd gotten it right?

"No need to be so hostile. I'm an ally of yours." Setsuna was punished with a dark glare that Kira no doubt thought was frightening, but for him served as a reminder of a violet-eyed youngster who had, in an attempt to scare off a rabid dog notorious for biting children, instead befriended the animal, laying to rest its vicious side.

"How can you prove that?" And Kira was still as stubborn as ever.

"Doesn't the fact that you were lying in my bed and remain untied not offer that evidence?" Utter silence.

"No one else knows about you being here. And I will make sure nobody will. You have my word on that. If I should fail you," Setsuna reached for a knife sheathed in his right sleeve. "Feel free to plunge this knife in me then." The Gundam pilot took it reluctantly.

"I hope I don't have to use this, ever." As he pocketed the knife, Setsuna caught a glimpse of those bleak eyes and repressed a sigh. Changing the subject, he grabbed Kira's hand and pulled him to the door.

"Hurry up, we're having blueberry pancakes for breakfast." Instantly, the mood lifted and Kira was smiling again as he spoke.

"I know, I could smell them when I woke up." Forcing a laugh, they made their way downstairs.

"You've got a great sense of smell then. Was that how you woke up?" Kira nodded his head bashfully.

"Athrun and I used to make blueberry pancakes a lot when we were little," he confided, and Setsuna felt a part of his soul burn to ashes.

_Not only had Athrun Zala replaced his image…_

_He'd also replaced his memories_.

And for that, Setsuna would never forgive him.


End file.
